Charlie Gluaisteain is a peculiar sort of fellow.
For three reasons.
Firstly, he only shows up on Oiche Samhna:
-the beginning of the dark half of the year.
-the night of ghosts.
He’d make a good ghost, old Charlie:
Gaunt.
Ghastly.
And as odd as they come.
Which brings me to his second peculiarity:
Charlie can construct any mechanical device from the things he carries.
I tell him that he is not a ghost in the machine, but a ghost with a machine.
He hates that, but it’s half true -Charlie really can make any machine from the odds and ends in his rucksack.
Let me give you an example:
I was alone drinking tea last night, and had in my hand an old painted plate depicting two dragons. A strange decorative thing, reduced to an annual outing for Samhain tea.
‘Ha! A Chuirtachoirce plate. That one is centuries old. The artist must have been a realist, judging by how accurate the dragons are.’
That was typical Charlie. Not so much as a knock or a hello. Just straight into conversation.
‘Nonsence’, I told him, ‘there was never dragons in Gortachoirce.’
‘Your declaration calls for an investigation, my friend.’
Charlie rummaged in his rucksack.
And produced wires and pipes and levers
And set to work manufacturing a device.
And, for want of a technical description, made it work.
And the room dissolved.
And I saw fairies.
And witches.
And dragons.
And then I was back in my kitchen.
And Charlie was gone.
And won’t be back till next year.
Which is the third strange peculiarity about Charlie Gluaisteain:
He calls whenever I make the mushroom tea.
The man must be able to smell freshly brewed Liberty Caps.
Unfortunately for him, the tea has always been drunk when he arrives.